Monday, February 19, 2024

What the Nurses Saw by Ken McCarthy

Book cover
What the Nurses Saw
by Ken McCarthy


ISBN-13: 9798870191508
Paperback: 513 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: December 8, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
No human activity can ever be free from error, but calling the failed COVID protocols “errors” is not accurate. These protocols were explicitly ordered by those who took dictatorial control of the medical system early in the Panic (spring of 2020). Further, when they were shown to be demonstrably failing and harming many thousands of people, experienced healthcare professionals who raised informed concerns were silenced through demotion, firing, and organized campaigns of harassment promoted by the news media and enabled by companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, in some cases in collaboration with the White House and the Department of Justice’s FBI.

Featuring in-depth interviews with Erin Marie Olszewski, Kevin Corbett Ph.D., Kimberly Overton, Ashley Grogg, Kristen Nagle, Sarah Choujounian, AJ DePriest, Mark Bishofsky, and Katie Spence. What the Nurses Saw is documentation of what happens in the real world when bureaucrats, in this case bureaucrats in Washington DC, take literal dictatorial control over the practice of medicine.


My Review:
What the Nurses Saw is a collection of interview transcripts of people who worked in the hospitals during the COVID Crisis or who has important information about the medical protocols used to treat COVID. The author, Ken McCarthy, apparently does video interviews, and when he saw nurses speaking out about harmful procedures being used to treat COVID patients, he interviewed them. Several of the interviews where with highly qualified nurses who traveled to New York at the beginning of COVID when the governor of that state appealed for nursing help. They described what it was like to work under those conditions and how the protocols being handled down from above where harming people who might otherwise have survived. Anyone who spoke out against the harm being done was moved to another area of the hospital or were fired. He also interviewed nurses who worked in other areas of the USA as well as nurses in the UK and Canada.

The author also covered topics like how online censorship and harassment was coordinated against those who spoke up, and he talked to a respiratory therapist to uncover why venting people so quickly was a bad idea and to someone who documented the money trail showing how hospitals were paid a lot of money to test for COVID and follow only the new protocols being pushed by those not on the front lines. I knew there had been payments to encourage using certain drugs or procedures, but the details of the 'money trail' are rather horrifying because it's obvious certain people wanted the hospitals to prioritize making money over what's best for the individual patient. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Monday, January 22, 2024

Vax-Unvax by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Brian Hooker

Book cover
Vax-Unvax
by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
and Brian Hooker


ISBN-13: 9781510766969
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse
Released: August 29, 2023

Source: Bought the book.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Studies the CDC Refuses to Do. This book is based on over one hundred studies in the peer-reviewed literature that consider vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations. Each study is analyzed, and health differences among infants, children, and adults who have been vaccinated and those who have not are presented and put in context.

Readers will find information on the infant/child vaccination schedule, thimerosal in vaccines, live virus vaccines, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, vaccination and Gulf War illness, influenza (flu) vaccines, Hepatitis B vaccination, the COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccines during pregnancy.

Given the massive push to vaccinate the entire global population, this book is timely and necessary for individuals to make informed choices for themselves and their families.


My Review:
Vax-Unvax looks at the scientific studies that show differences in the health of vaccinated children compared to unvaccinated children. The studies usually were focused on a specific shot (DTP, MMR, HPV, flu, etc.). The authors included graphs to illustrate the differences and indicated the statistically significance of the results. All the included studies had results that indicated a real pattern. Results included an increased incidence in vaccinated children of issues like type 1 diabetes and developmental delays to asthma, ADHD, ear infections, and food allergies.

I've been curious for a while if anyone had tested the claim that vaccines have resulted in healthier children, so I was interested in reading about these studies. I've known for several years that vaccines weren't primarily responsible for the decreases in the diseases they're credited with suppressing (increased sanitation played a major role) and that the vaccines can have severe side effects in some people. I found these studies very interesting. I'd recommend this book to everyone as I think it's high time people had an honest talk about this rather than just assuming vaccines = less disease = healthier people. I believe people should be allowed informed choices rather than just given untested statements.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.


Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Heal Your Nervous System by Linnea Passaler

Book cover
Heal Your Nervous System
by Linnea Passaler


ISBN-13: 9780760385654
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Released: Jan. 9, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Dr. Linnea Passaler has helped thousands address a wide range of symptoms associated with nervous system dysregulation—from mental symptoms, including anxiety, burnout, and brain fog, to physical symptoms, such as digestive issues, chronic inflammation, and fatigue. In Heal Your Nervous System, Dr. Passaler presents her 5-stage plan, developed over the last decade, to equip you with the knowledge to understand and regulate your unique nervous system.

Instead of merely treating the symptoms, Dr. Passaler shows you how to make a profound shift from reactive treatment to proactive healing. Grounded in recent scientific advances in neurobiology, chronic stress, trauma, and sensitivity, this is not a short-term or one-size-fits-all solution, but a comprehensive strategy to tackle the source of your symptoms, and restore your physical, cognitive, and emotional health.

In Heal Your Nervous System, you will discover how to assess your current level of nervous system dysregulation, why nervous system dysregulation can cause both mental and physical symptoms, how your individual sensitivity profile and past experiences came together to tip your nervous system into a state of dysregulation, the four most common mistakes people make in their healing journey and how to avoid them, and simple practices, exercises, and routines that progressively reverse nervous system dysregulation.


My Review:
Heal Your Nervous System provides a 5-step program to help your nervous system shift back into relaxed states and become more resilient. There wasn't much science in the book beyond talking about the different states of the nervous system, from relaxed to fight/flight/freeze states. The author did refer to some studies about how different actions can help you change how you react to stress and be able to handle more stress.

She started by talking about signs of nervous system dysregulation (including a quiz to indicate where you are on the scale) and factors that affect how your nervous system responds to stressors and trauma (like how sensitive you are, genetics, childhood safety levels, and bonding to your caregivers). She then covered each step in a 5 stage program. She suggested small actions or contemplations that take 5-15 minutes She stated you shouldn't make too many changes at once, and many of the activities fit into daily life rather than being things you need to find time to do. The 5 steps involve learning awareness of your reactions, regulating your nervous system, restoration of healthy patterns, connecting with others, and expanding your capacity to handle stress. At the end, she told more of her story and how Buddhism influenced her life (and her program). Overall, I felt like she had helpful advice.




If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Tuesday, January 9, 2024

The Gratitude Effect Positivity Journal by Randy E. Kamen, EdD

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The Gratitude Effect Positivity Journal
by Randy E. Kamen, EdD


ISBN-13: 9780593690062
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Zeitgeist
Released: January 9, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that conveys appreciation for a moment that has touched you in some way and moves you to express thankfulness. When you experience gratitude, your brain releases neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, resulting in a host of tangible benefits associated with positive thinking and emotions. Practiced regularly, gratitude literally rewires your brain to be more optimistic, flexible, and joyful, while simultaneously reducing stress and anxiety, building resilience to adversity, and strengthening your immune system, cardiac health, sleep hygiene, and more. These many positive changes to your health and well-being are “the gratitude effect,” and because these effects are cumulative, the more you practice gratitude, the greater its impact over time.

With The Gratitude Effect Positivity Journal, you’ll engage your brain’s neuroplasticity to reshape your worldview—and retrain your brain for greater joy, resiliency, and personal empowerment.


My Review:
The Gratitude Effect Positivity Journal is about how gratitude can help change your outlook and well-being. The first section talked about some of the science behind this and how daily gratitude practices (finding things you're grateful for) can actually change how you view life. Most of the book was the journal, with an area for you to write your daily gratitude list and a quote about gratitude for each day. The author provided some prompts in the first section that help you think of things you're grateful for. It was an interesting, short book. I'd recommend it (especially the print version) for those who like to journal.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Tuesday, January 2, 2024

The Vagus Nerve Reset by Anna Ferguson

Book cover
The Vagus Nerve Reset
by Anna Ferguson


ISBN-13: 9780593689905
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Zeitgeist
Released: January 9, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Feeling anxious and disconnected are signs of a nervous system that’s out of balance. Something as small as a curt message from your boss can be perceived by your body as a threat—which triggers a change in your vagus nerve (a cranial nerve that runs from your brain to your abdomen). In The Vagus Nerve Reset , somatic therapist Anna Ferguson offers easy tools and exercises, grounded in the science of Polyvagal Theory, to help train your nervous system to stop overreacting and start responding more calmly to day-to-day stressors. By tuning in to your vagus nerve you can gently shape your nervous system to achieve greater resilience, improved sleep and digestion, relief from anxiety, and healing from past traumas.


My Review:
The Vagus Nerve Reset is a program designed to help with nervous system dysregulation. It's for someone who has experienced some trauma that left their nervous system stuck in flight/flight or in freeze. This leads to being physically out of whack and feeling overwhelmed when even little things go wrong. I was interested in the science and was disappointed that the author only described the nervous system and Polyvagal Theory in very simple, general terms. Back when my body was really out of whack, I learned about the vagus nerve and ways to help positively stimulate the vagus by watching and reading free information online. I didn't learn much new from this book.

The first third of the book was about the nervous system, the last third was glossary, index, and recommended resources, and the rest was her program. She recommends being aware of your body and moving it as a way to get well. The first step was to help you become more aware of your body, then she described some simple exercises and stretches to help reset the nervous system. Much of this section was encouraging the reader to really do each step and not get impatient with the process. There were no illustrations or diagrams, but most of the suggested activities sound simple enough to do just from written descriptions. Since my body got fired up (so I felt every little thing) rather than numbed sensation, which was her problem, I'm not really sure her journaling step would have even helped me. Her program may be helpful for some, though.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Tuesday, November 21, 2023

How Not to Age by Michael Greger

Book cover
How Not to Age
by Michael Greger


ISBN-13: 9781250796332
Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Released: Dec. 5, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When Dr. Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org, dove into the top peer-reviewed anti-aging medical research, he realized that diet could regulate every one of the most promising strategies for combating the effects of aging. We don’t need Big Pharma to keep us feeling young―we already have the tools. In How Not to Age, the internationally renowned physician and nutritionist breaks down the science of aging and chronic illness and explains how to help avoid the diseases most commonly encountered in our journeys through life.

There are eleven pathways for aging in our bodies’ cells and we can disrupt each of them. Processes like autophagy, the upcycling of unusable junk, can be boosted with spermidine, a compound found in tempeh, mushrooms, and wheat germ. Senescent “zombie” cells that spew inflammation and are linked to many age-related diseases may be cleared in part with quercetin-rich foods like onions, apples, and kale. And we can combat effects of aging without breaking the bank. Why spend a small fortune on vitamin C and nicotinamide facial serums when you can make your own for up to 2,000 times cheaper?

Inspired by the dietary and lifestyle patterns of centenarians and residents of “blue zone” regions where people live the longest, Dr. Greger presents simple, accessible, and evidence-based methods to preserve the body functions that keep you feeling youthful, both physically and mentally. Brimming with expertise and actionable takeaways, How Not to Age lays out practical strategies for achieving longevity.


My Review:
How Not to Age looks at scientific studies and explains what food, lifestyle choices, exercise, and supplements actually appear to slow aging and which popular remedies don't appear to work. The author sifts through scientific studies and eliminates ones that appear biased to get a certain result. He summarized these studies and scientific concepts (like aging pathways in the body) in understandable ways.

The book started out with aging pathways and what foods, exercise, and such modified these pathways to create slower aging. I found this section to be the most interesting. There was also a section on common diseases in the elderly and what can be done to avoid them. Some of this information was repeated from his other books. He also covered things more suited to his "How Not to Die" book, like urging people to get vaccines (like for shingles) for diseases that are more dangerous to the elderly or explaining a way to legally kill yourself (through starvation) if you lack quality of life. He included recommendations in each section for foods to add to your diet, exercise, etc.

Overall, he's strongly in favor of making diet and lifestyle changes rather than taking drugs. He recommended whole, plant-based foods, though he did mention which animal products were better than others. Though I don't agree with some of his values, I found the information to be interesting and informative. I'd recommend this book to those who have the endurance to read 600 pages on the topic, and I'd recommend his free videos (many of which are linked to in the book) for everyone else.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Saturday, November 4, 2023

The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lycett

Book cover
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes
by Andrew Lycett


ISBN-13: 9780711281677
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Released: October 10, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In this dive into the contemporary world of Holmes and Conan Doyle, biographer Andrew Lycett explores all that encompasses the world of the great detective – tracing the infamous character’s own interests, personality and mythologised biography alongside that of his creator’s. From the Victorian crazes for detection and séance, to contemporary developments in science and psychology, Lycett weaves together everything that inspired Conan Doyle in creating the world’s most famous detective and one of fiction's most enduring, enigmatic and recognisable characters .


My Review:
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes is a biography of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, broken down by topic. The author started by covering the physical locations mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories, with a few details about and sometimes a picture of the real places. He also used illustrations taken from the stories. There were many quotes from the Holmes stories, so we often got more of what was in the book than new information about the place. We also got a bit about where Conan Doyle traveled during his life.

The next section focused on politics: mostly Doyle's views on current political issues during his life, but also how they were reflected in Holmes' views in the stories. The next section focused on science, starting with Darwin (evolution) and how that impacted Doyle's (and therefore Sherlock Holmes') views. The author also covered Holmes' scientific views and knowledge, as shown in the stories. Again, the focus seemed more on summarizing what the stories said about Holmes than comparing it to the real world forensics. The author also talked about Doyle's medical training and people that influenced his scientific views, some technological advances embraced by Doyle that weren't really mentioned in the stories, and Doyle's interest in the paranormal.

Next was about how crime was actually handled in the 1800s in England (as in, the founding of the police force and then the detective force), the emergence of crime fiction, Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and how he solved crimes, and how he inspired future crime fiction. Then the author covered how Holmes has been portrayed in films and plays. Next was about how The Strand Magazine (which published the Holmes stories) came into being and how the stories were later published as various types of books as literacy increased and printing costs decreased. The next section was about the art and music of the time period, especially that mentioned in the Holmes stories and a bit about Doyle's artistic relatives. Then he covered sports, especially those engaged in by Holmes or Doyle. The final section was about the enduring interest people have had in Holmes. I guess I expected more of a historical background for the stories than a biography of a fictional character and his author.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.